Putting down a mulch after you weed can prevent some of them from coming back from roots left behind. I use a lot of straw mulch, because it's cheaper than bark mulch, but I live on acreage so it's more acceptable than it might be on a city lot. I will also lay down newspapers or cardboard with a mulch on top to kill off weeds, much easier than pulling them all and it benefits the soil too. It won't stop blackberries, though. They'll just come up through it, as will thistle. Be careful of what you let go to seed. Birds will transport them to other areas and some can be invasive, choking out native plants. Your rhododendron won't have blooms next year where you trimmed it, just to warn you. It will the following year, though if you don't cut it back again. A lot of people whack them back to get a fuller plant. You'll learn a lot through successes and failures along the way, just as I still do. That's what's nice about gardening, you never quit learning. If I'd had the internet when I was gardening in my youth, I'd be way ahead by now! I started gardening before I was ten. My grandmother lived with us and she let me have a little plot in her garden, so I spent a lot of time tending that little piece of land. Then in my teens I took over the vegie garden. My grandmother had a small greenhouse that I grew cacti in too, so that was a fun diversion from the outside plants. Enjoy your days in the garden and take some pictures to show us your progress.

FYI. I'm in the Portland area. You can have plumeria's here (heck, I've been growing some from seeds), but as others have stated, you can let them go dormant during the winter, or bring them indoors 9 months out of the year (Oct-June), or have a heated and insulated greenhouse (not enough sun to really keep it warm). Plumeria's need to stay above the 40's; they will go dormant if temps get under 65-70. I've let my adult tree go dormant, it starts sprouting leaves come April (indoors). The babies are all on heat mats and under light year-round. My plumeria's thrived in direct sun during the summer (I no longer have that, so the adult hasn't bloomed). I keep them under a T5 light while indoors (12 hours) and the seedlings or rooting ones are on a heat mat and they're doing okay (not thriving, but alive). I'm actually thinking about moving to the coast. I would think they would need more protection and kept warm. I think a greenhouse would be best. I figure, if my friend can keep her plumies alive in Minnesota, we can do it Oregon. :) If you want, I post pics on my Instragram account. Just look for #plumeriasinpnw. Good luck!

Welcome to Texas! Unless you are in one of those subdivisions where they trucked in tons of clay fill and topped with sandy soil, you'll have pretty sandy soil on the north side. Dig down about 1' and see what you have. Generally, the builders would put about 4-6" of sandy soil on top of the fill. Even though the soil may be acid, the water is generally alkaline. First, lay out your drainage plan. During and after a heavy rain, where does the water go? Will you need to "help" it drain off? Make sure your plans for beds allow for the water to flow off. This is for the gully washers - 2-4" in 1 hour or the continuous rains of 4-6" over 2 weeks. Find your boggy points. Also, find your sewer and water lines. Avoid putting trees and root-aggressive plants there. As for trees, I love the chinese pistache. As colorful as the chinese tallow without the mess and invasive nature. If you have a good sunny spot with good ventilation, I also like the tree-form crepe myrtles. They get 40' tall and can be used as shade trees. Treesearch Farms on Alabonson (249 area) is a great resource, as well. They have a lot of natives, too. The hybrid redbuds are better looking than the natives, but I'm not sure they last as long. We had a redbud in our yard for 30 years back home. Red maples are nice, especially if you have a damp area in the yard. Do NOT get the silver maples. Invasive roots and not true maples. If you go oak, make sure you get the right one for your soil. Some like more sandy soil, and others tolerate clay better. One fun outing is the Mercer March Mart. Friday is for serious gardeners, as it's a madhouse. Sat is more laidback, but slimmer pickings. Generally, more trees and bushes left than the specialty perenials. It's Mar 28-29. Just those 2 days. There will be experts there in each area to answer questions. They will have a preview a couple of weeks ahead of the sale. Also, there are usually spring sales put on by the Master Gardener groups of both Harris and Montgomery County. Great resources for answering your questions any time of the year. I know Montgomery County Extension office puts out a list of recommended veggie varieties for the area and timetable for planting. They also have lists for fruit trees. Both have test gardens. You can grow apples, peaches, pears. You just need the right variety. You can also grow citrus. I have 2 satsuma oranges and I live out near Magnolia. You probably already know about Local Harvest. Their website will lead you to area farms selling locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, cheese, etc. Several pick-your-own within an hour. King's Orchard is probably the largest and most varied for fruit. Just 6 miles north of Magnolia. I'm moving around the corner from it, and can't wait to ride my bike down in the evening to pick fresh fruit. It will be several years before I get fruit trees in and established. Strawberries start in MAY!!

@danielj_2009 and others around the stove, I got to thinking about what you said about speed of lime and particle size. Besides any physical leaching due particle size, I wondered if particle size and speed and amount of change might be the biggest influence on quantity of lime that gets recommended. The quotes you gave above refer to 25lbs for some limes but warn against exceeding bag rate for the "new fast acting" limes. Is the grind that big of a factor? I had my doubts. So I did a search to find the chemical analysis of lime products. To my disappointment, most products don't provide one. Most just say "derived from limestone." That could include a lot of different components. Finally, I found this: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/41/417ecb06-d1a5-40cb-975a-78de1d1028f2.pdf PENNINGTON ® FAST ACTING™ LIME Plus AST ® GUARANTEED ANALYSIS Calcium (Ca)............................................................................................. 24% Magnesium (Mg) ...................................................................................... 6% Calcium Oxide (CaO) ............................................................................... 30% Magnesium Oxide (MgO)......................................................................... 15% Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) ................................................................ 55% Magnesium Carbonate (MgCO3) ...........................................................30% Moisture (maximum) ................................................................................ 1% Calcium Carbonate Equivalence (CCE) .................................................... 90%* Neutralizing Value 90% Calcium Carbonate Equivalence (CCE) Derived from dolomitic limestone F525In Florida, this product requires 2000 pounds to be equal to one ton of standard liming material. That is a fair amount of calcium oxide (quick lime) and magnesium oxide. Both are extremely caustic, meaning among other things, they destroy living tissue. I know from personal experience that quick or "hot" lime will burn the heck out of your skin. I think the oxide content of the Pennington fast acting lime might help explain some of the difference in lime amount recommendations (from 6 up to 100lbs) and why the manufacture of this product advises 6-10lbs. Makes me question what the other fast acting (or other) lime products contain when the say "derived from limestone." Just another brick for the wall even if it doesn't clear things up. Update: http://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LightningLimeFactSheet1.pdf http://encap.net/lawn-mineral-nutrients/fast-acting-lime/#tab-id-3 http://www.solu-cal.com/media/pdf/msds-sheets/11010%20Solu-Cal%20Calcitic%20Lime%20SDS%202015.pdf http://www.acgmaterials.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Product-Data-Sheet-MINI-PRILLED-LIMESTONE-112116.pdf http://www.jonathangreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/magicallabel.pdf http://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Documents/limestones.pdf